Daedalic Entertainment announced last Tuesday that they just got the license rights for “The Lord of the Rings” and with that, they have partnered with Middle-earth Enterprises to create and publish an action-adventure game focused on the life of Gollum. While he has been featured in some games before as a cameo character, he hasn't really ended up with a title of his own. However, things are changing for Gollum in two years time as he will get his own title. The story will begin when Gollum finds the One Ring, it’s before he appeared in the novel/film. The game will focus on Gollum’s split personality, his conflicted emotions, and switching between himself and his kinder alter-ego Smeagol.
According to Daedalic Entertainment’s CEO and co-founder, Carsten Fichtelmann, their "goal was to present a storytelling experience" and when he got the chance to meet with Middle-earth Enterprises four years ago, the plan was solidified. Tolkien estate was also positive with Daedalic’s view in making the game rather story-oriented. They wanted a game that was "closer to the novels and more about story-telling" unlike other games previously released, like Shadow of Mordor and Lord of the Rings: Conquest. Last year, the German developer concluded an episodic adventure based on Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth historical fiction. Many were amazed by it and thought it was brilliant. So, the expectations are pretty high regarding their new project with Middle-earth.
Nothing much is revealed yet, but we already have the official logo of the game. Lord of the Rings: Gollum is scheduled to release in 2021 on PC and "all relevant console platforms at that time". We don’t know what those new generation consoles are, but my gut is telling me that PS5 and Xbox Two will probably be included in that relevant console platform list.
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